Mr. Ambrose has explained to readers how each man was born and raised, so each can be understood within the proper cultural context. Each has been shown through his early years so that at the beginning of this third portion the readers have mental images of well developed military leaders: one on the side of the US government, the other on the side of the Sioux. It is doubtful, despite the obvious nature of what was going on in the East, that the Sioux really understood that the US amounted to a common enemy for all the tribes.

The year of great significance in this case is 1868. The Sioux were unable to fend off the whites along the more Northerly region of the Great Plains. The threat moved to the heart of their territory. One of the leaders was able to head an entire military campaign. A...